


See What They Aren't

by Crab_Lad



Series: Crab's need for clone wars content [27]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: ? - Freeform, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rako Hardeen - Freeform, Rex punches Anakin, idk how to tag this one tbh, post-Rako Hardeen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24308158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crab_Lad/pseuds/Crab_Lad
Summary: CJ (Someawkwardprose) gave me the idea !also oak who's mentioned is thirteenthmouse 6572's oc
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Crab's need for clone wars content [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1662106
Comments: 15
Kudos: 341





	See What They Aren't

**Author's Note:**

> CJ (Someawkwardprose) gave me the idea !
> 
> also oak who's mentioned is thirteenthmouse 6572's oc

Rex stood cautiously outside the door, waiting. 

He had seen the mess that had been Cody and Kenobi’s reunion. His brother had many skills, but common sense seemed to be one Cody lacked. Rex and a large group of 212th and 501st had witnessed Kenobi’s return, and the moment Skywalker left the room, Cody had shouted himself hoarse. It was easy to understand why Cody was angry, Force, he wasn’t the only angry  _ vod  _ in the room. 

However, Rex could see it from Kenobi’s point of view, and could see the pain in the General’s eyes. It was plain how much Kenobi accepted what happened, as if he believed he deserved it, deserved to be yelled at. The tightness in his shoulders, the crease in his forehead. If he didn’t know better, he would almost think there were tears in Kenobi’s eyes. 

The moment Cody had fallen silent, Kenobi had muttered a weak, “I’m sorry,” before gliding out of the room. Soon after, Cody had gone the opposite way, back towards his own rooms, while the group dispersed. They murmured between each other, but Rex had been torn, between comforting his brother, and letting his friend know he wasn’t alone. 

Someone had nudged him towards Cody, making the decision for him. As he walked, he shot a glance to Fives who offered him a tired smile in return. Shrugging, he continued on down the hall. 

Bringing him here.

In front of Cody’s door. 

With a sigh, he raised his knuckles to knock softly against the door. A second later, the door slid open, revealing a tired looking Cody. His brother’s eyes were red, face flushed like he was holding back tears. And beside that, Cody really looked… like shit.When he spoke, it was with a raspy tone, still sore from his shouting from earlier. 

“What do you want?” 

His words were slurred which meant… ah yep, there it was. A bottle of Oak’s moonshine sitting on the table. There was a glass that seemed to be half filled sitting next to it, with a small amount of liquid pooled around it. Rex sighed, pushing his way into the room. This would not be the best situation to deal with, especially if Cody was a) emotional and b) drunk.

With another sigh, Rex moved over to the drink, snatching up the bottle. He slid the cap back on, tucking it carefully in his belt. It was an awkward fit, but it would have to do. Then, he wiped up the table and took the glass to the sink. The whole time, Cody stood by dumbly, watching. When he finished cleaning, Rex turned to Cody with a disapproving look. 

“What?” 

Rex rolled his eyes, “Shithead, go take a shower. When I’m back, I’m shoving water down your throat, and we’re talking this out like rational people okay?” 

Cody just gaped at him, stumbling over his feet as he walked toward the shower. With a shrug, Rex walked out. He went to find the nearest  _ vod  _ that could use a drink, tossing him the bottle, before making his way down to the mess. There, he grabbed an extra set of rations, and two canteens full of water and made his way back. The halls were surprisingly bare, considering that there was a battalion and a legion on board. 

This time, he didn’t knock as he entered Cody’s room, happy to hear the shower going. Maybe his  _ di’kut  _ of a brother had decided to be smart and responsible for once. Cody had never been the best example of self care. Rex decided to keep his armour on. He knew that Cody wouldn’t take him seriously unless he presented himself seriously. Cody may be the  _ ori’vod _ but he certainly wasn’t acting like it now. 

Cody eventually stepped out, towel draped over his head as he padded over in a loose pair of pants. They pants certainly didn’t belong to him, as they stopped just above his ankles and looked fairly tight for sweatpants. But they worked well enough. Grumbling lowly, Cody rubbed at his hair before throwing the towel toward the corner of the room, glaring. With an exaggerated huff, he dropped down onto his cot. 

Rex shot him a scowl, picking up the towel and making a point to hang it up on the back of one of the chairs. Taking the time to put extra weight in his step, Rex stomped back over to Cody. But before he could talk, Cody simply flipped him off, rolled over, and went still. It was a clear dismissal if he’d ever seen one, and honestly, Rex was too tired to put up with it. 

“If you’re gonna be a stubborn ass, I’m leaving.” 

Cody didn’t respond, which Rex took as a good idea to get the hell out. 

They were still in transit three days later when General Skywalker decided to get pissy in front of him. The past few days had gone by with Kenobi locking himself away from his room. A few troopers had visited to check on him, but many had reported… nothing. Kenobi had accepted the food they brought, and had kept idle chatter. Rex had been far too busy to check on Kenobi himself, relying on his men too.

He always seemed to be expecting someone, according to them. 

Cody had spent most of his time in the training decks, or in the mess. Or buried under piles of paperwork that kept the Marshall Commander busy for hours. It wasn’t the most ideal way of… well avoiding issues. Rex refused to speak to Cody until Cody went to him. If his  _ ori’vod _ was going to continue being a stubborn ass, then he was going to let him. 

Skywalker hadn’t been silent about his feelings, but had kept the comments minimal. Until now. Where he just so happened to be sitting next to Rex in the mess while Rex got the report from Tup. The trooper had given it fast and quick, only relaying that the General didn’t seem to be eating much, and had seemed… not all there. The moment Tup left, Rex heard Skywalker scoff.

“Don’t understand why he’s so upset,” Skywalker grumbled to Ahsoka, who only sighed tiredly. “He’s not the one who was lied to. He’s not the one who spent months thinking his brother, his best friend, was dead.” 

“Skyguy…” Ahsoka warned, sending a warning glance to her Master. Her gaze flickered over to Rex for a moment. 

Rex tried to ignore it. Skywalker was always emotional, taking everything personally. It had been something he faulted his beloved general for. Skywalker was  _ aliit. _ Maybe not as close as Kenobi was with the 212th, but he was still  _ aliit _ . So Rex really tried to ignore it, tried to ignore the petulant words Skywalker was saying. Almost as if Kenobi faking his death was a personal attack on him. With Skywalker… it always seemed like he thought the Jedi Council was out to get him, and while Rex had to admit they didn’t treat Skywalker with as much care as they should have, they still didn’t have a personal vendetta against him.

“No! I’m tired of it. He lied to me! He lied to us! Ahsoka, we saw him  _ die _ . And he had the nerve to expect that he could come back and everything would be fine? They lied to me! What else are they holding back? It’s not fair, he could have told us, could have been honest. He didn’t need to leave me in the dark. I just can’t believe he-”

The mess fell into silence when Rex’s fist crashed into Anakin’s face. 

“Sir, I politely request you shut the  _ kriff _ up.”

With the room so still, it was almost like no one dared to breathe, Rex got up, took care of his tray, and left. He tried to keep his shoulders back, spine straight, and head held high as he exited, not wanting to show how the staring made his skin crawl. It wasn’t until he made it back to his own room did he let his last remaining strings of dignity fall as he sagged. With a deep, heavy sigh, he slumped against the door to his room, not yet ready to go in. His room was often lonely, and he wasn’t sure he should stay there in case Skywalker became wiser and decided to track him down to court martial him.

Quickly, Rex made up his mind and made his way down to Kenobi’s room. The halls were fairly empty of troopers, most had retreated to the mess. It was almost comforting, the silence of the ship. There was the subtle hum of the hyperdrive, evident everywhere. It was always a comforting background noise. 

Walking up to Kenobi’s temporary quarters, Rex realized he should have stripped some of his armour off to appear less threatening. His goal in coming here was to actually talk to the  _ Jetti _ . He was, afterall, mostly alone. None of the other  _ vode _ were comfortable enough to be casual with Obi-Wan, and Cody had his head so far up his ass there was no way to pull him out. Rex ran a hand through his bristley hair, trying to breathe out his frustration before he raised a hand and knocked. 

Obi-Wan opened it a moment later, surprise clear on his features as he greeted, “Rex.” 

“Kenobi,” Rex responded with a small nod. “Do you mind if I come in? I may or may not have punched Skywalker.”

To Rex’s astonishment, Obi-Wan threw his head back and laughed, quieting down long enough to wave Rex in and tease, “Yes, might be best to lay low for a little. Anakin’s temper can get a hold of him sometimes.” 

Rex gave him an amused smirk before stepping in after Obi-Wan, finally letting his posture relax in the presence of a friend. Obi-Wan and Rex were nowhere near as close as Cody and Obi-Wan, no one could be. And they certainly weren’t as close as Anakin and Obi-Wan, but Rex still counted Obi-Wan as one of his closest friends. They spent enough time in each other’s presence off duty, that they could call themselves that. Friends.

“How can I help you?” Obi-Wan offered lightly, but the tightness in his shoulders was still clear. 

“Nothing,” Rex answered, sitting down in one of Obi-Wan’s chairs. “I’m here as a friend, not as a captain.” 

Obi-Wan’s demeanour changed, slightly at least. They were the minute changes that Rex himself didn’t always pick up on, but could see some of. It was the way his smile dropped minutely, the tightness in his eyes and expression. His posture loosened, relaxing. 

“I see. Then, what can I do for you?”

Rex rolled his eyes, fixing Obi-Wan with a look. He wasn’t surprised anymore, by the Jedi’s self destructive habits, self sacrificing habits. The  _ Jetti _ always put others before himself, and for once, he was hoping that Obi-Wan would let Rex put him first.

“It’s more what I can do for you,” Rex countered. “I’m here for support through all of this. The whole Rako thing. The others are starting to piss me off about it.”

Obi-Wan gave him an odd look, and it seemed like it hadn’t occurred to the ginger that some of the others’ anger was unjustified. To be frank, all feelings were valid, especially as a clone, it was important to remember that. But some were feeling this anger, over this one thing, too personally. Especially Skywalker. 

“They keep thinking it’s a personal attack on them, when you were really just doing your duty. I think they’re too caught up in their anger that they forget you were a real part of this too.”

Turning to face him fully, Obi-Wan frowned, “I don’t think that’s fair. They have the right to be angry.” 

“Well sure,” Rex offered, “but not at the expense of you. They’re blaming it all on you, and forgetting you didn’t have a choice.” 

Obi-Wan’s frowned deepend, as he shifted uncomfortable. He sat down in the chair across from Rex, stroking at his beard. The  _ Jetti  _ seemed lost in thought for a moment, and it occurred to Rex that the thought hadn’t crossed Obi-Wan’s mind. Obi-Wan always tended to blame himself for things. The idea that he wasn’t at blame must not have… well. 

“Sir, uh. Obi-Wan,” Rex mended, speaking softly. “I can tell you’re hurting. You’re lonely. Both Skywalker and Cody have shut you out because they’re taking it personally. But they’re not seeing what you went through. It wasn’t your choice was it? I know you. If it had been up to you, you would have told them.”

“I…”

Obi-Wan let out a soft sigh, something small and sad. He looked down at the table for a moment, thinking, before looking back up at Rex with a half smile. It was an expression Rex often saw on the General’s face, full of pain and self loathing. 

“I still lied to them. It doesn’t excuse that.”

“But-”

Obi-Wan held up his hand, politely cutting Rex off, “But I… your words have merit. I didn’t have a choice. Yes, I would have liked to warn them, Cody and Anakin especially. But I couldn’t. In anycase, I was personally selected by the Chancellor for the job.”

That sent anger shooting through Rex’s blood. How many times had Skywalker gone to the Chancellor for advice? And when Obi-Wan was “dead” Skywalker had been given permission to go after Rako  _ from the Chancellor _ . Why had the Chancellor purposely picked Kenobi, and then told Skywalker to go after “Rako”? Skywalker had attempted to take the 501st after “Rako” but the Council had stopped him. Rex was glad for it, things could have gone messy. 

“Rex? Are you alright?” Obi-Wan questioned, giving him an odd look. 

The Captain took a moment to steady himself, to relax and let his anger fade. There was no point in getting pissed over it now. It probably broke through his shields, which is why Obi-Wan was giving him that look. He breathed in, and then let it out, clenching his fists.

“I’m not angry with you, just,” he sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face again. “Mad at the Chancellor. It’s not important right now. What does matter is that you’re locking yourself away in here, beating yourself up, Cody and Anakin are kinda acting like assholes, and you should go talk to at least Cody.” 

Obi-Wan leaned back, speaking wryly, “I suppose you’re right. It’s just hard to believe when everyone’s been…” he trailed off, looking down as his grin dropped. 

“Blaming you?” 

“Yeah.”

They fell into silence, before Rex stood and shifted the chair back into place. “Sir, I really think you should speak to Cody. Explain yourself. He’s been locked in his room for too long.” 

Obi-Wan nodded, but didn’t say anything as Rex left the room. 

**Author's Note:**

> crablad is my tumblr


End file.
